A rich woman

As in several other Muafangejo works, A Rich Woman presents a repeated pattern of animals across the picture plane in alternating black and white, which gives the image a highly graphic quality.

The reference here is to the practice of lobola in which the groom-to-be presents his prospective father-in-law with cattle. Cattle signify wealth in many African societies, and thus the repeating pattern in the print as well as the fact that more cattle are implied beyond the frame of the image, underscore the wealth of the bride who is about to be married. The presence of two calves at the base of the picture suggests fertility and domesticity. 

Artwork courtesy of Norval Foundation.